Thirteen Matchsticks
by Taffeta Lace
Summary: He's 80% genius and 100% mad; but when Beyond Birthday looks back at A he figures none of that stuff mattered anyway.
1. Match I

**Thirteen Matchsticks**

**Summary: **He's 80% genius and 100% mad; but when Beyond Birthday looks back at A he figures none of that stuff mattered anyway. BBXA drabbles

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Beyond Birthday thinks back to what made him what he is now.

He remembers, he thinks, the day he first met A. Wide-eyed with claws at the ready, kicking and screaming as he made his tornado of an entrance into Wammy's House. Roger haphazardly dragging him by his shock of black hair as he scratches and hisses and throws wild kicks at a desperate last attempt to escape.

-"shut up"

Vermillion orbs narrow into slits as he looks up through a mess of raven black. The collar of his shirt perches precariously on his right shoulder as a result of Roger seizing the only opportunity of momentary stillness to pin his arms back behind his lanky frame. His mouth twists into a scowl as he coolly registers the boy squatting on the far side of the room.

He is not impressed.

Beyond Birthday is not impressed by the unsettling feeling as he regards the enormity of the strength and power hidden behind the small, fragile frame sitting 50 feet in front of him. He is not impressed by the uneasy wave of nausea that hits him as he watches the figure rise and stealthily pace towards him. And Beyond Birthday is most definitely not impressed by the fluttering in his stomach, or the way that he seems to feel alive, and alright, and home when red meets blue.

"Hi," rings a loud sing-song voice "I'm A."

A's eyes never leave his as A purses his lip while studying him. Beyond Birthday shudders at the feeling of such intense scrutiny. Scarlet eyes divert down when Beyond Birthday feels like the icy cold stare of ocean blue is too much for him to handle.

Beyond Birthday is not stupid.

He doesn't understand a lot of things, but he's not stupid. He's knows he's like a match stick - an overly bright spark of fiery-red self destruction that resulted in sharp, agonising pain if you got too close. He is hot-headed, on cloud nine, untouchable and unstoppable so long as his flame is lit.

Maybe that's why he is scared to the death of A, scared that A could put him out. A with all of his cool water blue; crystalline beads that could put out his fire with just one look.

"I'm happy." A's cool tenor voice breaks Beyond Birthday out of his reverie.

"I've finally got someone to play with; you know, it's no fun playing alone." He states in a casual tone, the matter of fact speech unnerves Beyond Birthday and despite the fact that A's switch from detached and disinterested to genuinely wanting to befriend him chills him to the bone, for once, Beyond Birthday feels like things are going to be okay.

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Hey guys! I know it's short, but it was only meant to be a oneshot to begin with. I'm probably going to make it into a series of drabbles of A and Beyond Birthday. It should probably be read in conjunction with Deathnote: Another Note for it to fully make sense though so 8D happy reading ^^

I LOVE reviews, almost as much as Beyond Birthday likes Jam :)


	2. Match II

**Thirteen Matchsticks**

**Summary: **He's 80% genius and 100% mad; but when Beyond Birthday looks back at A he figures none of that stuff mattered anyway.

**Disclaimer: **I don't own BB or A or Death Note. Nothing, Nada, Zip, Zero, Nil.

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Beyond Birthday has always been relatively shy.

It wasn't that he didn't like people, it was more to do with the fact that people tended to avoid him. He nods his head in affirmation, as if the act of which could convince him that it wasn't _his _fault really, it wasn't because _he_ got tongue-tied and things just seemed to slip out and his palms and forehead and soles of his feet got clammy and sweaty. It wasn't because of those things. It wasn't even because his eyes would shift around erratically or that his heart would beat sporadically, or that he would simply _tremble _at the mention of needing to hold a conversation for more than 5 minutes. Because those sorts of things, he wasn't particularly accustomed too. It was just that he didn't have much practice.

Beyond Birthday tries to focus his attention to the match in his hand, because even thinking about it makes him nervous.

-"You know that's awfully stupid of you"

He feels a sharp pang at his fingertips and looks down to the ebony-black soot that almost resembles graphite coloured fairy dust, trying to magically hide the angry red welts that are forming from the contact of skin on naked flame.

-"Ouch"

-"Well gee smart guy; I see nothing gets past you."

Beyond Birthday narrows his eyes into thin vermillion slits, and shoots a sharp glare at the golden haired boy; secretly hoping to himself that the his glare could burn as much as his fingers do right now. A is looking on patronisingly, his sing song voice feels like a slap in the face of mocking chants that Beyond Birthday is so accustomed to, His eyes although a guarded blue give away hints of laughter. Laughter at his expense, Beyond Birthday thinks bitterly.

"I hate you, I hate you and I hate this place," Beyond Birthday's voice is trembling, angry and bitter with humiliation and embarrassment. He is overflowing with emotion and all the things that he wants to say and has to say and the things that he can't and doesn't understand why, for the life of him why, things are so hard to put across.

A's eyes soften like butter on a kitchen bench top with the blinds drawn open and the sunlight spewing through.

"I don't mean it you know, to be mean" he says quietly, his cheeks are flushed strawberry pink with embarrassment, he looks abashed and uncertain and for a very brief moment, Beyond Birthday feels a little regret at being so volatile.

"It's just I'm not very good with people you know? I've not had much practice" A admits, eyes downcast staring at the little mayflies that occasionally land on his half tied shoelaces and scruffy pant legs. Beyond Birthday stands there, apprehensive and relieved and slightly overwhelmed because he's never had someone who had spoken to him for so long, or had someone who was just as bad as his when it came to people, or conversation, or both.

"Me too" He says, and all he needs to see are A's eyes light up in relief to know that things have always been like the lazy summer days where the sky is a brilliant cornflower blue and the cumulus clouds roll lazily past.

-"You know…"

A's voice is shaking when he hears it next, and it comforts him, although it's sadistic thinking, it makes him feel a lot more at ease.

"You know, I usually eat strawberry jam when I hurt myself. The sugar helps with the pain."

Beyond Birthday looks at A's sapphire eyes, a little uncertain, and a filled with a fear of rejection and he just knows that A is right. He knows at that moment that strawberry jam will cure all wounds and he knows that they're both made out of the same stuff; a little awkwardness and some apprehension all thrown into a huge melting pot with sincere intentions and a whole lot of brilliance. Beyond Birthday looks at A, and he knows that this is the only place in the world where he'd fit in.

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As always, read and review! :)


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